Tuesday Betsy made cod en papillote, with fennel, squash, & tomatoes. I
opened a 2001 Anglada-Deleger "Blanchots Dessus" Chassagne Montrachet
1er and immediately put half in a 375 for another day. But when I sat
down for dinner I discovered the Chassagne was oxidized, with a
sherryish nose. I drank about half a glass, dumped rest (and the 375 I
had saved). I have another, checked with the reputable merchant where I
had gotten it. He said he had sold tons without a problem, offered me a
credit, so I'll try the other soon.

Wednesday Betsy made balsamic grilled chicken, I opened the 2004
Diochon Moulin-a-Vent. Seemed both light (simple-fruity) and hard
(tannic) at first, but with some air the fruit developed a more serious
black cherry profile. Next night with some "Sicilian-style" tuna steaks
the tannins had integrated better and there was some earth with the
red fruit. Not bad but there are better Beaujolais out there. I liked
some late 90s Diochons but think I'm taking off buy list. B-

Pretty unexciting week of wine, but I'm not sure how moved I would have
been by even a '89 LMHB or '78 Rousseau Chambertin - ok, well, those
might have moved me. But in general I think my notes (not the oxidized
wine) the last week might be reflecting my drinking alone. Betsy
doesn't usually drink more than a glass, and she's not geeky, but I
like talking to her about the wines and our perceptions. For the first
10 days of her (unneeded imho) diet, she isn't having wine. It's just
not as much fun. When I reflect back on great wines I have had, it's
always partly a memory of who I was sharing them with (and vice versa-
so Ian is linked forever with a '91 Mascarello Barolo, Mark L. is a
Pichler Riesling, Jim Jones is a '93 Lafarge Chenes, etc). I'm planning
on opening something fairly special Sunday to celebrate her return to
the fold!

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.